1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle headlamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
Projector-type vehicle headlamps have been available. For example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. H6-15206 discloses a conventional vehicle headlamp. The conventional vehicle headlamp is explained below. The conventional vehicle headlamp includes a light source, a reflector that reflects light from the light source, a projection lens that projects the reflected light from the light source forward, and a shade that blocks a part of the reflected light directed toward the projection lens from the reflector to form a light-distribution pattern having a cut-off line.
When the light source is turned on, light from the light source is reflected by the reflector toward the projection lens, and a part of the reflected light is blocked by the shade. The remaining light is irradiated from the projection lens to the front of a vehicle in a light-distribution pattern having a cut-off line.
In the conventional vehicle headlamp, as shown in FIG. 4, an elbow point E10, which is an intersection of a diagonal edge 110 and an upper horizontal edge 130 of a shade 500, is located on a vertical reference axis VU-VD. As shown in FIG. 6, an elbow point E20, which is an intersection of a diagonal cut-off line CL10 and a lower horizontal cut-off line CL30 of a passing-light-distribution pattern P0, is located on the vertical reference axis VU-VD. Accordingly, in the conventional vehicle headlamp, as shown in FIG. 8, lighting (light/dark) difference substantially of a left-right reversal or inverted Z-shape (hereinafter, “Z-shape”) appears in a far area (eye point in a circle of two-dot chain line in FIG. 8) IP of an own driving lane 15 which a driver looks at. Therefore, there is a problem in far visibility due to a dark spot in the Z-shape, and there are a sense of incompatibility and trouble due to the Z-shaped lighting difference.